The embodiments described herein relate generally to prosthetic implants and more particularly, to devices and methods for mapping projected changes in anatomic features resulting from the placement of a prosthetic implant.
Prosthetic devices are often implanted into, for example, diseased portions of a patient to repair, support, stent, and/or otherwise facilitate the proper function of those diseased portions. In some instances, prosthetic devices such as stent grafts can be used to repair diseased portions of a patient's vascular system. For example, aneurysms within a patient's vascular system generally involve the abnormal swelling or dilation of a blood vessel such as an artery, which typically weakens the wall of the blood vessel making it susceptible to rupture. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common type of aneurysm that poses a serious health threat. A common way to treat AAA and other types of aneurysms is to place an endovascular stent graft in the affected blood vessel such that the stent graft spans across (e.g., traverses) and extends beyond the proximal and distal ends of the diseased portion of the vasculature. The stent graft can thus reline the diseased vasculature, providing an alternate blood conduit that isolates the aneurysm from the high-pressure flow of blood, thereby reducing or eliminating the risk of rupture. In other instances, a prosthetic device can be an implant and/or mechanism, which can provide structural or functional support to a diseased and/or defective portion of the body. In some instances, however, the arrangement of the anatomy can present challenges when attempting to place and/or secure a prosthetic device (including stent grafts or the like). Such challenges can result in misalignment and/or suboptimal configuration of the prosthetic device within the anatomy.
Therefore, a need exists for improved devices and methods for mapping projected changes in anatomic features resulting from the placement of a prosthetic implant.